Cutting apparatus for mowing-machines.



No. 757,586. l PATENTED APR. 19, 1904. J. H. WIEKAMP.

CUTTING APPARATUS PORMOWING MACHINIES.l

APBLIOATION rILgn'ooT. zo. 190s.

N0 MODEL.

Y y K I y Hdiigessz l l A by Y l t l f l. r l 4 ,v n* V @Alfmujzys /da mi mams Ferias on. mmouwo.. wnsnmcromgg view of the sickle bar and head. Fig. 3 is a connected with the frame of a mowing-ma- -To all whom, it may concern:

, UNITED STATES Patented April 19, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HENRY VVIEKAMP, OF MISHAWAKA, INDIANA.

CUTTING APPARATUS FOR v MOWING-NIAGHINES- SPECIFICATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 757,586, dated April y19, 1904.

Application filed October 20, 1903.

Beit known that I, JOHN HENRY WIEKAMTP, a Y citizen of the United States, residing at Mishawaka, in the county of St. 'Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Cutting Apparatus Jfor Mowing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cutting apparatus for mowing-machines; and it has for its object to provide a device of this class in which the'- sickle-bar shall be provided with a head having adjustable bearings for the wrist-pin of the pitman whereby the sickle-bar is operated, so that slack caused by wear may be easily and conveniently taken up.

The invention further consists in providing the cutter-bar with adjustably-mounted guides for the sickle-bar head, whereby a smooth and even motion of the latter shall always be insured and which in addition thereto shall serve as a guard for the pitman, whereby the wrist pin or hook of the latter shall be prevented from rattling or displacement except when it becomes necessary to remove'it from its bearings in order to make the necessary compensating adjustment.

With these and other objects in view my invention consists` in the improved construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, which will be hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.l In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure lvis a perspective view showing the inner end of a cutter-bar with the short portion of the sickle-bar and the sickle-head in position for operation. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional transverse sectional view taken on the line 3 3 in-Fig. 2. Fig.' is a perspective detail view showing the pitman-guide and the latchconnected with the saine. Fig. 5 is a detail side view of the sickle-head. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view through the latter, showing a modiiication.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are indicated by similarnumerals of reference.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the inner end of a cutter-bar of ordinary construction, such as in practice is customarily hingedl y Serial No. 177,775. (No model.)

chine. The cutter-bar is constructed in the usual manner to aiord bearings for the sicklebar 2, which is provided in the usual manner with a rear flange 3 and with teeth or cutters v5, which are connected therewith in the usual manner and which cooperate with the guardingers 5, which are connected with the cutter-bar. The sickle-bar 2 is provided with the usual head 6 for engagement with the hook or wrist 7 of the pitman 8. Y

By my present improvement the pitmanhead is provided with a longitudinal circular recess 9, the open end of which is interiorly screw-threaded, as shown at 10, and the inner Unthreaded end of'which is preferably smooth and of a slightly-reduced diameter for the reception of a plug 11, provided with a semi.-

circular recess 12. A similar recess 13 is formed in the adjacent end of an eXteriorlythreaded plug 14, which occupies the outer screw-threaded end of the recess 9 and which is preferably provided with a handle 15, by means of which it may be readily manipulated. The side of the sickle-head is provided with an opening 16 through which the hook or wrist 7 may be inserted'into the bearing formed by the recesses 12 13, which cooperate to form the bearing for said pitman-hook. rlhe pitman 8 itself is composed oi a rod which is bent to form the hook or wrist 7 and the inner end of which may be slightly flattened to adapt it to be accommodated, as will be presently described, to reciprocate yin the usual manner.

It will be observed that any wear upon the bearings of the pitman-hook 7 may be'compensated for when said hook is removed from its bearings by giving the screw-threaded plug 1li a one-half turn'. By making the thread of the screw suflciently line-say one-sixteenth of an inch-the scope of adjustment will be only one thirty-second of an inch, which may be usually deemed suficient. In order, however, to make a much hner adjustment possible, I prefer to place in the case or inner end of the recess a plurality of disks 17 of very thin sheetsteel or other suitable sheet material, the number of which may be increased or diminished to not only provide for the esired fineness of ad- IOO pitman-hook in alinement with the opening 16. The end of the sickle-head which forms the inner end of the recess has an opening 17 to enable the said disks to be pushed out of position when necessary to accomplish the removal of one or more of the same.

While the cutter-bar being constructed in the usual manner affords bearings for the sickle-bar proper, a special housing is by my present improvement provided for the sicklehead, said housing being composed of two L- shaped bars 18 and 19, provided in their horizontal parts with oblong or elliptical bolt-holes for the reception of bolts by means of which said members may be adjustably connected with the cutter-bar. The vertical parts of the members 18 and 19 afford bearings for the sides of the sickle-bar, as well as for the pitman, a portion of the body of which lies adjacent to the sickle-head, as Will be Well f understood. An overhanging flange 21is formed or'provided at the upper end of the vertical portion of the member 19 to engage the upper part of the sickle-head. Lubricating-openings 22 and 23 are formed, respectively,-in the flange 21 and in the top of the sickle-head, which may be brought in alinement with each other for lubricating purposes. Oil will also be supplied through the opening 23, which will reach the pitman-hook or crank-pin 7 and keep the latter well lubricated.

Upon the inner side of the upstanding or vertical part 24 of the member 18 of the housing is pivotally mounted a latch-plate 25, the free end of which serves to cover a notch 26, formed at the inner end of said vertical part 24. This notch 26 is of such a length and is so disposed as to bein alinement with the opening 16 in the side of the sickle-head when the latter is at the extreme inner end of its throw or movement. The latch-plate 25, it will be observed, actually forms the pitman-guide, because it is against said latch-plate that the outer side of the pitman engages or slides. Hence the said latch-plate will be of suiicient length to accommodate the pitman during the entire length of its movement, and the member 18 of the housing, the vertical part of which carries the said latch-plate, is ac; cordingly made of suflicient length for this purpose.

It will be observed that the opening 16 in the side of the pitman-head, through which the pitman-hook is insertedl into its bearing, is made oblong vertically, as will be clearly seen in Fig. 5 of the drawings. It is well known that in almost every mowing-machine manufactured at the present time provision is made for tilting the cutting apparatus in a longitudinal vertical plane, When such provision is made in a cutting apparatus equipped with my improvement, it is obvious that the necessary rocking movement will be had without diiulty, since the outer end of the hook will be free to move in the oblong slot 16,

with a concavity or recess, which said recesses cooperate to form the bearing for the pitmanhook. It is obvious that by this construction both of the plugs, which are provided with handles 34, are capable of adjustment for the purpose of taking up wear.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that when the parts or members of my improved device are properly connected the operation of the pitman will not cause the movement of the sickle-head beyond its housing.v The eXtreme inward movement of the sickle-'head leaves the latter with the opening 16 of its side wall in alinement with the notch 26 in the 'vertical part 24 of the member 18 of the housing. Now the latch-plate 25, which is constructed of spring-steel, is provided at its upper free corner with an outwardly-bent tongue 28, forming a catch to engage the edge of the notch- 26, thereby retaining the latch-plate in position. When it shall be desired to remove or disengage the crank-pin or pitman-hook 7 from its bearings, the sicklehead is stopped at the extreme inward end of its throw. The catch 28 being slightly pressed is disengaged from the notch 26, and the latch-plate may then be raised so as to eX- pose the end of the pitman, thus enabling the hook 7 to be readily withdrawn from its bearings. The latter may then be conveniently adjusted to compensate for wear.

It is obvious that by this invention a very convenient compensating connection is provided between the pitman and the sickle-head of a mowing-machine. I would desire it to be understood, however, that in the practical manufacture of this device I do not restrict myself to the precise structural details herein set forth, but reserve the right to any changes, alterations, and modifications which may be resorted to within the scope of my invention and without departing from the spirit or sacrificing the utility ofthe same.

Having thus described my invention, I` claim- 1. In a device of the class described, a pitman-hook, a sickle-head having an orifice for the passage of the pitman-hook and provided with a cylindrical recess screw-threaded at its outer end and smooth and of a slightly-reduced diameter at its inner end and a smooth plug seated in the inner end of said recess, an exteriorly-screw-threaded plug engaging the outer end of said recess, said plugs having recesses cooperating to form bearings for the IOO lIO

pitman-hook and said outer plug having ahandle Wherebyit may be manipulated.

2. In a device of the class described, a pitman-hook, a sickle-head having an orifice for the passage of said pitman-hook and provided With a cylindrical recess screw-threaded at its outer end and smooth and of a slightly-reduced diameter at its inner end, a plurality of thin disks seated in the inner end of the recess the bottom of which is provided with an opening, a smooth plug occupying the remaining portion of the unthreaded part of the recess, and an eXteriorly-screW-threaded plug fitted in the screw-threaded part of the recess, said plugs having transverse recesses coperatin g to form bearings for the pitman-hook.

3. Ina device of the class described, a sicklehead having an oblong orifice in the side Wall thereof and provided With a cylindrical recess, plugs axially revoluble and longitudinally movable in said recess and `provided on their inner ends with cavities forming bearings, a pitman-hook insertible through the orifice in the side Wall of the sickle-head and journaled in said bearings, there being means for retaining the plugs in adjusted position in the recess In testimony that l claim the foregoing as 4o my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN HENRY WIEKAMP.

Witnesses: A

WILL EBERHART, CHARLES H. W'ooD. 

